Forever You and Me
by Meghannna
Summary: Sequel to Only You
1. Chapter 1

1

Over the past year, Jess and Rory had lived together happily. Six months ago they had gotten married. It was a very small wedding. In attendance was Lorelai, Luke, Travis, Lane, Zach, Paris, Tristan, Sarah, Dave, Liz, TJ, Emily, Richard, and Christopher. They didn't want to make a big deal out of it, all they needed were there closest friends and family; it was actually a stretch to invite Christopher, but Rory decided that it would be for the best. Now, Paris and Tristan were on their way to get married and Sarah and Dave had broken up two months ago.

They could barely be in the same room, which made it hard during Tristan and Paris' wedding preparations because they were both in the wedding. They're still completely in love with each other, but both are so set in their decision that they won't reconcile. Sarah, completely afraid of commitment, broke up with Dave when he thought it'd be a good idea for them to live together. In her eyes, and most everyone else's, it was the biggest mistake of her life and left both her and Dave heartbroken. Rory and Paris tried everything in their power to get them to, at least, speak to each other, but it only backfired to the point where they didn't even want to try and salvage a friendship.

Travis was just over a year old and had been walking for two months, still a little shaky, and had started talking three weeks ago. Lorelai was loving being able to run the inn _and _take care of Travis. Luke felt the same way about the diner. They were always able to bring Travis into work with them because they are their own bosses and because ever since Lorelai gave birth, she's been doing a lot less at the inn. Having Travis in their lives has brought Lorelai and Luke even _closer _together than before, if that were at all possible. Rory loved having Travis in her life too. She and Jess babysat all of the time and she loved it. Her relationship with Travis was so much better than any relationship she had ever had with Gigi. Jess even liked being around Travis. He always said that he was the one baby who didn't make him want to jump out of a moving car. Travis loved Jess too, and Rory loved watching them together. She wanted to start a family with Jess as soon as the timing was right.

Jess had just gotten home from the diner and sat on the couch. He spent his day in Hartford working at the record store and then he had an interview for an editing position at a publishing company. He laid his head back and stirred when he heard his wife's voice carrying from their bedroom.

"Paris! I know you're getting married in a month, but I am _not _yourwedding planner, so stop calling and complaining to me. And I do get it Paris, you're nervous, but I've tried everything to try and calm your nerves," she said as she walked into the living room and spotted Jess. She smiled at him and walked over to the couch to take a seat. "Okay Paris, I'll talk to you later."

"Another Paris attack?" Jess asked, amused, once Rory hung up the phone. She nodded her head pathetically and leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Anyways, how was the interview?" She asked, quickly changing the subject from Paris' normal craziness.

"I think that it was okay. We'll see in a couple of days, won't we?"

"That's good. I hope it works out. You seemed excited about it."

"I was, _am_, just not counting my chickens," he explained.

"Ah, I see. Well, I'm pulling for you," she said and kissed him fully on the lips. Just as he was about to deepen it, she pulled away. "We cannot do this. My baby brother is sleeping in the next room. After Mom and I went shopping, we had to pick Trav up from Luke's because it was swamped and Lane had a doctor's appointment, and you were working and had the interview, so I hung out at their house for a bit. Then Mom got a call from Sookie saying there was an emergency having to do with Michel, so I offered to bring Travis here since he was half asleep anyways. Mom or Luke should be by to pick him up in a little while."

"Wait a second, I thought you had to work today," Jess said.

"I did, but I decided to take half a day off, but then I just called in sick because I can never shop with half a day. And don't worry, I didn't even end up buying anything; although, Mom did buy me a dress for the party she's throwing for me. Speaking of the party, by the way, we have slight problem with the guest list that I need my heroic husband to handle."

"Oh, wow, trying to suck up to the husband. This must be a big one," Jess said, only half joking.

"Well, see both Sarah and Dave were invited and both Sarah and Dave RSVP'd. So, what I need my incredibly handsome husband to do is to keep them separated at all times during my fantastic twenty-seventh birthday bash," she asked, her voice oozing with sweetness.

"For you, my wife, anything," he answered with a smirk and she smiled at him. He laid on the couch, pulling her to lay on top of him. "Twenty-seven, getting old, aren't we Grandma?"

"Well, if I recall, you are already twenty-seven. I'm not mistaken, am I?" She asked playfully. He nodded his head 'no' and kissed her despite her earlier complaints about Travis' presence in the house. She kissed him back and just as he was about to flip them over, so she was on her back, Travis started crying in the next room, and Jess dropped his head, frustrated.

"He must have some radar. Every time that I get an inch from you, he cries, or does something to kill the mood," Jess complained, as Rory stood up from him.

"Aw, poor baby. Can't score with his wife while her little brother is ten feet away," she said in a baby voice. "Can you go get him and I'll make us some coffee?"

"Fine," Jess answered, also standing up from the couch and giving Rory one last kiss before disappearing around the corner to the extra bedroom where Travis' playpen was set up. Rory walked into the kitchen and started the coffee machine as Jess walked out holding Travis. "You know, Trav, once one of your parents comes to get you, I am going to have crazy sex with your sister and there is nothing that you can do to stop it," Jess told the now quiet Travis in his arms.

"Jess! Don't talk like that to him; he's like a freaking parrot. He'll repeat that and Luke will most definitely _kick_ _your_ _ass_," Rory scolded Jess, but smiling. "And now I wouldn't be too sure about having 'crazy sex with his sister' once he leaves."

"Ah! Do not talk like that in front of him!" Jess mocked as he heard his front door open and close.

"Like what?" Lorelai asked when she walked into the kitchen.

Rory's face turned completely red and Jess stifled a laugh as Lorelai took Travis from him. "Nothing. Don't worry about it, Mom," Rory said with her back to her and her body hunched over the coffee maker.

"Okay, well we should get going," Lorelai said skeptically. "Call me later, Rory. Love you."

"I love you too, Mom, Travis," Rory said, slowly turning around.

"Bye Lorelai. Bye Trav," Jess said as he watched them walk out of the kitchen. He waited for the door to open and close before turning to look at Rory. "Twenty-two shades of red," he joked. She looked at him and threw a dish towel at his chest. He watched it fall to the floor and then walked over it to stand in front of Rory.

"You're a jerk, you know that?"

"Nice sweats," he said as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"No, my friend, do not change the subject. I will not accept that," she told him, never keeping a straight face as he rubbed circles on her back. She brought her hands from her sides and put them on his chest.

"Fine, I'm a jerk," he admitted and she smiled. "But, I've always been a jerk. You have always known that. Truthfully, I think it's part of why you cannot resist me," he added, whispering into her ear. She shuddered at his closeness. He pulled away from her ear and descended his lips onto hers and she pushed him into the living room and onto the couch, so that they were in the same position they were in before Travis had interrupted them.

"Yeah, either that or the fact that you always whisper in my ear like that, and I have no choice but to _not _resist you," she said in between kisses, and he laughed as he flipped them over, so that he was propped above her.

"Maybe," he said before slowly unzipping her sweatshirt. He bent his head down and kissed her collarbone. Just she she started unbuttoning his shirt, their front door opened.

"Hello?" They heard Luke's voice call out. Rory zipped her sweatshirt up and turned on her side as Jess slid to lay behind her. "Hey."

"Hi Luke. What's up?" Rory asked, nonchalantly. Jess's face plastered with a scowl.

"I'm here to pick up my son," he told them.

"Well, that's interesting since your wife left about ten minutes ago with him," Jess said to him.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow for breakfast," Luke said, clearly not realizing he had interrupted something, much like his son had earlier. Jess sighed loudly and Rory rubbed his leg to comfort him.

"This day is reminding me of when we first got back together, when we were interrupted _every single time_ we were in a similar position," Jess reminisced.

"Oh yeah, very similar. Oh man, remember that first night that we got back together? When we were in your apartment and I had no shirt on and was about to like take your pants off and all of a sudden Dave and Sarah came into the apartment? That was bad," Rory also reminisced.

"Yeah, but we reacted quickly enough," he reminded her and she let out a small laugh.

"Oh, yes we did." Rory smiled and turned onto her other side to face him. "Hi," she whispered.

"You know, you're not nearly as good at the whispering as I am," Jess whispered back, a small smile starting to develop.

"Shit, I have to go to Lane's," Rory told him, standing up from the couch.

"What?" He asked, also standing up and following her to the closet as she pulled out her jacket.

"I'm so sorry, but I'm supposed to be there in five minutes. I totally forgot. I was really happy with where we were headed, but I promised. She had a very important doctor's appointment today," she explained as she held onto his collar lightly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just don't too long, 'kay?"

"I promise. She has to go to work in an hour and I'll leave at the same time as her. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye," he said as he gave her a soft kiss.

"Bye," she said. She gave him a quick kiss and left the house.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry this took so long and I dont think i had an AN on the first chapter. sorry for that too. but this is the sequel to _Only You_ and I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

"You're pregnant, as in with child? What did Zach say?" Rory asked, very excited, while sitting in Lane's living room.

"He's excited, but I can tell that he's scared; like _really _scared," Lane said, with the same smile she had been wearing when she found out about the baby. "I can't believe it, Rory. I am having a baby. Wow."

"I know, this is huge," she told Lane, but then a thought popped into her head. "Did you tell your mother yet?" Lane laughed nervously, and then nodded her head 'no.' "Lane!"

"I know, I know. I was thinking that maybe it would be easier to let her find out on her own. You know, in a few months we'll have dinner together and she'll notice my bump. Maybe that will work."

"No, Lane. It won't. You have to tell Mrs. Kim. She loves you and she loves Zach, she'll be happy for you. I'm happy for you, Jess will be happy for you, my mom and Luke will be happy for you; everybody will be happy for you, even your mother."

"I hope so." They were sitting back in silence, breathing in the news of her pregnancy, when Zach came home with Brian. "Hey guys," Lane said suddenly sitting up.

"Hi Lane. I hear that congratulations are in order," Brian said as he sat down on the footstool of the chair Rory was sitting on.

"Yes, and thank you," Lane said smiling again. Zach sat next to Lane and put his arm around her shoulders. "Oh guys, thanks for coming over, but I got to get back to the diner." Zach released his arm and she kissed him softly before standing from the couch.

"I should go too, I need to get home," Rory announced as she too stood up. Her and Lane walked out of Lane's house and once they were outside Rory gave her a hug. "I am so happy for you. Call me as soon as you tell your mother; don't wait too long."

"I won't. I promise. Bye, I'll talk to you _soon_."

"Bye Lane," Rory said before they walked our separate ways. Rory walked home in a daze. She was focusing on all of the events happening around her; Paris and Tristan were getting _married. Paris and Tristan_. Travis was growing up so fast, and she got to be along for the ride. Her and Jess were happily married and Jess could be having this huge job opportunity. Not too mention, her best friend in the world, next to Lorelai of course, was having a baby with the man that she loved.

When she walked into her house, she could hear music coming from the living room. She walked further into the house and the living room was empty. She walked even further and saw that the kitchen was also empty. By the time she had gotten back to the living room, she had discovered that the whole house was empty. "Where the hell is he?" She asked herself out loud. She walked back into the kitchen and noticed, through the window, Jess standing next to what she thought was a grill, now in more casual clothes.

She opened the back door carefully, and walked out a few feet to stand next to him. "What's this?" Rory asked and he snapped his head in surprise.

"This would be a grill," he said and Rory nodded.

"Since when do we have a grill?"

"My mom called and asked if we've ever used the grill that she and TJ left in the shed. Since neither of us had never been in the shed, I checked it out, and then I took the grill out here. We're not really _grill _people, though, are we?"

"I honestly don't think so. I've never used one. I've only ever seen one used at my grandparents' house. Do you know how to grill?"

"A little bit, yeah. It's not exactly one of my favorite pastimes."

"I didn't think so," Rory said, still looking at the grill. Jess looked back at the grill. "What else did your mom say?"

"Oh yeah," he said, turning to look at her again. "She tried to sell me the house."

"What?" Rory asked, finally looking away from the grill. "Why?"

"She thinks that it would really good for us to buy a house; she thinks this one fits us really well," he explained.

"Well, what did you tell her?"

"I told her that we hadn't really talked about it much. She said that we really should. I don't know; should we buy a house?" Jess asked as they simultaneously turned back towards the back door.

"Should we? And if we do, should we buy this one?" Rory asked. "I don't know." Rory opened the door and Jess held it open so that she could walk in first. They walked into the living room where The Clash was still playing. They sat down on the couch and Jess instinctively put his arm around Rory's shoulders and she cuddled into him.

"I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Yes, a good conversation, but for a better time," Rory agreed. "So, I have some big news."

"Okay, what is it?" Jess asked, looking down at Rory.

"Lane is _pregnant_. How awesome is that?" Rory asked, her face beaming.

"That _is _awesome. Did she find out today?"

"Yeah, that was her big doctor's appointment. I'm so happy for her and Zach. Mom will be too. I'm so excited."

"I'll tell her congratulations at work tomorrow. This will be cool," Jess said and Rory smiled against him. "When is the next time you have to go to New York and see Paris?"

"Oh God, never I hope. But she said that I don't have to leave tomorrow; she said that _next_ Friday is fine for her. So, I guess I'll be going next Friday, despite how much I do not want to," Rory told him and he laughed silently at her unhappiness; not in a mean way.

"Well, what do you want to do this weekend, then?"

"I don't know; just hang out?" She asked and he nodded. All of the sudden, the phone rang. "I swear to God, if that is Paris I will break out in tears." She stood from the couch and picked the phone off of the chair. "Hello?" Jess paused the music, so that she could actually hear the other person.

"Hey Sweetie, it's your dad," Chris said on the other line.

"Hi Dad. How are you?" Rory asked as she sat back on the couch.

"I'm great. How are you?"

"I'm really good Dad. What's up?"

"I was just hoping that I could see you this weekend; maybe have lunch on Saturday?"

"Sure, Dad. That sounds great. Where, when?"

"I was thinking that maybe we could have it at the inn. Easy, comfortable, casual. How about around one?" He asked.

"Dad, that sounds great. I'll meet you at the inn at one."

"Great. I'll let you go, but I'll see you then. Bye kiddo."

"Bye Dad," she said and then hung up the phone. She un-paused the music and laid her head on Jess's shoulder.

"So, I guess I'm having lunch with my dad on Saturday," she informed him and he nodded. "Want to come?"

"No, but I will if you want me too. I have to work at three, but I can make at least a stop-by."

"You don't have to. I was just wondering if you wanted to. No big deal," she assured him.

"I know. I'll think about it, though. Okay?"

"Sure. That's fine by me." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before laying her head on his lap.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Jess playing with Rory's hair that was sprawled all over his lap. They let the music play, but it was the last song on the CD and it had to end eventually. When it did, Jess shut the CD player off with the remote, and looked down at Rory who was looking back up at him. "Want me to go make some dinner?" Jess asked.

"What do we have that you can make?" Rory asked him.

"We have that Hamburger Helper that you _begged _me to buy, but never made," he told her and she smiled.

"You know, they have it microwaveable. Seeing as how I can't cook, that might have been a better option."

"I'll make it now, and remember that for later." She sat up and he kissed her with a smirk on his face an left her alone in the living room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own gilmore girls... obviously. :o)**

"Paris, I'm at work. Can I call you when I get home?" Rory asked Paris over the phone.

"I'm at work too, but we need to speak right now. We'd be able to if you were still working with me and never moved back to the boonies," Paris whispered angrily.

"Goodbye, Paris," Rory said before she closed her cell phone. Rory focused her attention back on her computer and worked until she was allowed to go home.

When she got home, she knew that she'd be home alone because Jess was working at the diner until closing. Luke was with Lorelai and Travis in Cape Cod with Emily and Richard. She and Jess were invited to go, but they both had to work and decided that it would be best to stay in Stars Hollow.

Rory changed out of her work clothes and into jeans and a Yale t-shirt before grabbing her jacket and keys and leaving for Luke's. She spotted Jess and Lane at the counter during an obvious lull. Jess was reading a book, very focused, and Lane was filling salt and pepper shakers. Rory walked into the diner, causing the bell to chime and Jess and Lane to turn their attention to her. She smiled at them both and put her hand up towards Lane to signal that she would talk to her in a minute. Lane nodded and Rory walked over to the counter. Jess leaned forward and kissed his wife.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as she sat down on one of the stools.

"I didn't want to sit home alone and I have no work to do, so I thought I'd come and visit you two," she explained and he smiled as he took a coffee cup out from underneath the counter and placed it in front of her. "Thank you," she said as he filled it.

"No problem," he told her and then looked towards the door when two new customers came in and sat at a table. "I have to get this," he told her and she nodded. She watched him walk over to the newly full table and moved down a couple of stools to sit down next to Lane.

"So, are you and your mother still not talking?" Rory asked as she settled onto the stool next to Lane.

"Yeah, she's disappointed in my getting pregnant too quickly and she just won't talk to me. I not going to try and fix it. I have nothing to be sorry for," Lane explained and then she capped the last salt shaker she had filled. "I think she'll get over it soon enough. She had me almost exactly nine months after she and my father got married."

"I know, but it's hard on her. You're her only daughter. You are her Lane," Rory said sympathetically. Lane nodded and then she heard Rory's phone ringing. "I'll be right back," Rory said as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. She walked up the stairs to the empty apartment and answered it quickly before whoever was on the other end hung up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Rory. It's Sarah," Sarah said over the phone, sounding excited. "I feel like we haven't talked to each other in such a long time."

"We haven't," Rory said as she sat on Jess's old unmade bed. "What's up?"

"I really can't talk very long, but I lost the invitation to your party, and I was hoping you could tell me the day and time. Sorry."

"It's no problem. It's the Saturday two weeks from tomorrow at seven at the Dragonfly," Rory told her.

"Alright, that's what I thought, but I just wanted to make sure," Sarah said and then took a small pause before asking another question. "Dave will be there. Right?"

"Yeah, he'll be there. Will that be a problem?" Rory asked, desperately not wanting to have Sarah or Dave uncomfortable at her party.

"No, I just wanted to be prepared. I'm prepared now, so it will be no problem. I still haven't talked to him since the break-up and I want to before the party. I just don't know when. I hate that we can't talk."

"I know, but you've done everything you could so far. All that's left to do is try and talk and get to wherever you want the two of you to be."

"Yeah, I know," Sarah said. "Uhg, I have to go, Betsy is on her way up. I can hear her huge combat boots clomping up the stairs to the apartment. You know, if you had never moved, I wouldn't have to live with her."

"I'm sorry."

"I know. Okay, I got to go. I'll see you in a couple of weeks. I miss you. Bye," and then Sarah hung up the phone and Rory did the same. She looked around the apartment, now used mainly for storage of Luke's bachelor days and then headed back downstairs.

When she reached the diner Lane was also up and waiting tables. The lull was definitely over. She sat at the counter, on the stool where she had left her half-full cup of coffee. After taking a long sip, Jess showed up in front of her. "Where did you go?" He asked as he grabbed a plate from Caesar and an empty cup.

"Oh, I got a phone call and took it upstairs," Rory explained and Jess nodded as he placed the plate and now full cup in front of the person two stools down from Rory.

"Boyfriend?" He asked and smirked.

"Yeah, I was going to help you guys out here, but now I have this big date that I need to go home and get ready for. Sorry," she told him with a smile and he chuckled lightly. "No, it was Sarah. She just wanted to ask about the party."

"I see," he said and he wiped his hands on his jeans. "So, do you still want to help? It would be greatly appreciated."

"Of course I'll help. That _is _why I dressed like this, so I could help you guys out and stay comfortable until ten o'clock."

"I might close up at nine thirty. I'm tired."

"Whatever. I'll go get an apron and be right back," she said and walked into the storage room to grab the apron she had been looking for. She tied it around her waist and walked into the diner at the same time. She was met by Jess and two plates that he handed to her. "Where to?"

"To the big table by the window," he said as he walked back behind the counter. Rory nodded and brought the two plates to where Jess had told her to. The four of them, Jess, Rory, Lane, and Caesar worked until the dinner rush ended at around nine. Jess let Caesar and Lane leave, but him and Rory closed.

"I am such a loyal wife and friend. I mean, I worked all day at the paper and then come home and change. Then, I come to help both you and Lane, and Caesar, run the diner. I should get some kind of a medal or something," Rory said while she put chairs up on one of the tables.

"Oh yeah, Paris called. She seemed very angry because you supposedly forgot to call her once you got home from work," Jess told her and then put the last stool onto the counter.

"Okay, so I may not be the most loyal _friend_, but I've become pretty good at the wife thing. You have to admit; whoever thought me or my mother could do it?"

"Well, first off, Luke and I did."

"Only because you're the two nutjobs that married us," she told him and he smiled. "Can we go home now?" Jess nodded and put on his sweatshirt while Rory put her jacket on and took her keys from behind the counter. Jess held the door open and Rory walked past him and he followed her after he shut the remaining diner lights off and locked the door.

"We should have thought this through," Jess said as he zipped his sweatchirt up to shield the old night air. Rory looked over at him and nodded. They magnetically walked closer together and Jess put his arm around her shoulders and she put her arm across his back. With his free hand, he put on the hood to his black sweatshirt and looked like he was seventeen again. They walked home in the cold air.

When they got inside Jess kept on his hoodie and Rory took of her jacket and ran to the bedroom to change into something more warm. When she emerged again, she was a walking Yale bilboard in Yale sweatpants and pullover shweatshirt. She found Jess lying on the couch and sat at his feet.

"What are you doing?" Jess asked when he felt the weight near his feet. Rory swung her feet so that her legs were resting on his shins and hanging over the side of the couch.

"I'm tired, but I don't want to go to sleep right now. Do you know what I mean?" She asked him and he opened his eyes.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said in a sarcastic tone, but smiling. "I'm tired too. Thankfully there are no deliveries on Saturday and I don't have to wake up at four thirty in the morning."

"That's too early. I don't know how Luke does it every week."

"You didn't have to wake up at four thirty this morning. You usually don't get up until seven," he told her and she nodded.

"I'm well aware of that, but I wanted to see you before you left. You always wake up at seven too and I get to see you before I go to work. If I hadn't woken up with you this morning, I wouldn't have been able to see you until I got to the diner. And I wanted to be able to see you. I like order," she told him and he nodded.

"I get it, I guess." She nodded and layed half on top of him and half on the couch. He raised his arm so that she could fit her shoulder into his armpit and rest her head on his collarbone. He kissed her temple and she laid a hand on his chest and watched it lift up and down to the same beat as his breathing. "You have lunch with your dad tomorrow, right?"

"Indeed I do," she answered while yawning. "You have to work all day now, so you can't even stop by; sad."

"Your dad doesn't like me very much as it is anyways. Just tell him I'm working and that if he wants I'll be at the next meal you guys have together," Jess suggested, tightening his grip around Rory's slender body.

"My dad doesn't not like you. He doesn't _want _to like you, but he really has no legitimate problem with you. To him you're still the kid that crashed my car, but he never knew you then. He knows you now, but he's afraid to," she explained to him.

"Maybe," he thought aloud. "New subject?"

"I think it's time for bed," she yawned again and instinctively cuddled closer to Jess.

"Yet bed is so far away," he said and closed his eyes, thankful that he had not taken his sweatshirt off; it was cold in the beginning of the fall season. Rory nodded against his chest and clsoed her eyes as well.

"I feel bad when you sleep in jeans. Everytime you work until close at the diner, you get lazy and keep them on all night and I know you're uncomfortable. We should go to _bed_," Rory told him, trying to convince him.

"Okay," he gave in and stood up quickly. He immediately picked Rory up from the couch and threw her over his shoulder while he held her by the legs.

"Jeez, Jess. Are you rying to kill me?" She asked through laughing. He didn't answer, but walked to their bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. He hovered over her and kissed her long and hard. They both made sure to savor the kiss, because they knew it wouldn't last as long as they wished. It was too late at night after a long day. When he attempted to pull away, she lifted her hands and held his head in place for a few more seconds before releasing her grasp and letting him pull away.

She smiled at him as he walked towards one of the bureaus in their room. She pushed herself o the top of the bed and quickly got under the covers as he took off his pants and put pajama pants on. Once he had shed his hoodie and his t-shirt he was lying in bed next to Rory with his arm wrapped securely around her waist. She shut the light off adn he kissed the crown of her head before they drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**an: sorry this took so long, but i did get it up. i did my best and i hope you guys all enjoy. read, review. :o)**

**disclaimer:nothing is mine**

Rory walked into the Dragonfly at 1:07 pm, later than expected, and walked to the dining room, stopping to look at herself in a mirror, and then carrying on. When she entered the dining room, she looked throughout the crowd and saw her father standing from his table and smiling at her. She smiled back and walked over to him and gave him a hug.

"Hey Dad. Where's the kid?" Rory asked, pulling herself from his grasp.

"Ah, I left her with her grandmother. My mom wanted to spend the day with her, but she says hi," he informed her as he pulled out a seat for her and sat down himslef.

"Well, tell her the same and that I miss her," Rory told him and picked up a menu. "I'm starving."

"Me too," Christopher said, picking up a menu also. "So, where's Jess today?"

"Mom, Trav, and Luke went to Cape Cod with Grandma and Grampa, so he's in charge of the diner until Monday. He was going to come, but Luke and Mom just told us about the trip a few hours before they left."

"Oh, okay. Tell him hello," Christopher told her and she looked up from her menu at him and nodded with a smile. "What do you feel like eating?"

"Uhg, I don't know. So much to choose from. Oh, I know, I know, I'll have the chicken parmesean. That sounds really good right now. What about you, Dad?"

"I think that I'll go with the pork chops. I haven't had pork chops in the longest time," he concluded and they both put down their menus. "So, is there anything going on in your life, kiddo?"

"Not really. Although, Jess had an interview a few days ago at a publishing company and we're waiting for word on that. We've also been talking about buying a house, but we're still on the fence about that," she explained and Christopher nodded along with every word.

"I think that that would be good for the two of you. A house of your own, it's a big step, but maybe it's the right step to take. It's something to think about at least." Rory nodded in agreement. "And tell Jess good luck with the new job opportunity."

"I will. And thanks, Dad," Rory said and they smiled at each other. They sat in silence, but the silence was broken by the ringing of Christopher's cell phone.

"I'm so sorry, Ror. It's my mom; might be important. I'll be right back."

"It's okay, Dad. I'll be right here," Rory said as Chris smiled and walked away, putting the phone to his ear. Rory sat at the table, quietly, waiting for Chris to return, while her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw that she had one new text message.

_It's dead at the diner. Come entertain me ASAP._ She read it and smiled at the familiar number above it.

_Oh, poor boy. I'll swing by right after lunch. Love you. _She sent the message to Jess and put the phone back into her pocket and watched her father walk back into the dining room with worry written all over his face.

"What's wrong, Dad?" She asked, standing up to meet him.

"I'm so sorry, honey, but I have to go. Your sister broke her arm and that was my mother calling, frantic; I need to meet them at the hospital," Christopher said, looking at Rory; sadness, regret, and fear flowing through his voice and stare.

"Oh my God, Dad. Go and call me later with details," she told him and grabbed her purse from the table and pushed him out of the inn.

"I'll call you as soon as I can. Me and Gigi will come by and see you before we go back to Boston. I promise. I'm so sorry to cut this short."

"It's fine, Dad. I'll talk to you later. Go!" She nearly yelled and Christopher nodded before walking from the porch, to his car. Rory watched him and waited for him to drive off, before taking out her cell phone.

_Apparently, I'll be at the diner sooner than I thought. Dad had an emergency concerning Gigi and a broken arm. I'll explain later. See you soon. _Rory shut her phone and put it away before walking to her car and driving to the diner. When she parked, she looked through the window and saw _only _Jess. He was leaning his head on one hand and the other hand held a book that he was concentrating on. She shut off her car and threw the keys in her purse and walked into the diner.

Jess looked up from his book and towards the door when the bell rang in her appearance. He put the book down next to him and walked around the counter to meet her in the middle of the diner.

"Hey," he said, breaking the silence that had been surrounding him since he sent Lane and Caesar home.

"Hello, Mr. Mariano," she said playfully. She put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into herself. From within his hug, she looked around the diner. "Wow, this place really _is_ dead."

"I know," he said, tightening his grip around her waist and resting his forehead on her's. "I told you that. I have been so bored all day. Three customers have come in; Kirk, obviously, Taylor, and Miss Patty. I had to let Lane leave because she was throwing up and Caesar got upset and started to complain, so I let him leave to. This has been my day," he told her after they detached themselves from each other and he swept his arms around the diner.

"I'm sorry. My day was actually pretty good. I was kind of bummed when my dad had to leave, but he _had _to. I mean, Gigi probably broke her arm. He promised they'd come by and see us before the two of them leave for Boston, though."

"That's good. Hey, come back here with me," Jess said, pulling Rory by the hand into the storage room. He closed the door behind them and they sat down in front of the door, blocking the rest of the world out.

"We have not done this in almost nine years," Rory said, sitting in between his legs with her back against his chest.

"No, we haven't. I was thinking about it earlier though; how we'd always come back here when I should have been working and Luke wasn't watching. God, we could stay back here close to an hour, but eventually somebody, usually Luke, came back looking for me to get back to work."

"Good times, we had us some fun back here if I recall correctly."

"Oh, you recall correctly," Jess whispered into Rory's ear before kissing her collarbone and then moving his mouth to her neck. She leaned her head against his shoulder and turned it so that she could give him a small kiss on his own neck. Rory sat on her knees and turned around to face him. She leaned down and crushed her lips against his. He put his hands on her back and pulled her closer into his body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid down on the dirty storage room floor, pulling him on top of her and not caring what she was laying on.

Jess propped himself above her and continued kissing her. He kissed every inch of skin from her forehead to the strip of midriff showing above her belt. As he did so, she kept hold on his hair. Thankfully, he hadn't gelled it that morning due to the lack of time. His hair was much softer when it was natural and she preferred it that way. He preferred it gelled, moused, or as long as it was perfectly coiffed. He was worse than her when it came to his hair and always had been. She thought it was cute, how he usually insisted on making it perfect before he let himself leave the house, but when he was working at the diner it wasn't so important to him because he would eventually ware it all out by all the moving around and such.

Jess kissed her forehead and laid next to her on the floor. He pulled her to lay on top of him. "This does seem oddly familiar," she whispered into his neck, but loud enough for him to hear.

"I thought that a little nostalgia would be nice. Even if we aren't seventeen anymore and we're married, we can always pretend."

"I do miss being seventeen sometimes. I love you so much, but you and I had so much fun then. Especially when we had first started dating. We could never keep our hands off each other. We didn't have to worry about whether or not we would buy your mom's house, you know? But, we were never as close as we are now. And I wouldn't ever want to change our past together. Despite all of the crap we went through to get to where we are now, it was all _worth _it. We missed a lot of time in between though. Jeez, we hadn't seen each other for five or six years when we met up in New York. A lot could have happened in those years, you know?"

"That's true, but think of the time apart as the time it took us to realize that we couldn't live happily with anybody else. If we had found each other too soon, maybe we wouldn't have worked out for a second time."

"Aw, look at Jess, being all gushy," Rory said playfully, still laying on his chest. He scowled at the comment, but didn't deny it. They sat in silence for a few minutes. It was spent with them lying together, Jess kissing Rory every few seconds. Rory was now laying next to Jess, on her side, thinking and playing with his hair again. "Jess?" She asked quietly, looking at him as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Yeah?" He asked just as quietly and turned to face her.

"I think that we should buy a house; soon," she told him and he watched her talk and nodded while he thought about it. He sat up and sat against the door and she joined him. He sighed and laid his head back just as Rory's cell phone started to ring. She took it out of her pocket and saw her father's number. "It's my dad."

"Get it; we'll talk about this later," he told her and she smiled and kissed his nose before opening her cell phone.

"Hey Dad."

"Hey Kiddo, I was just calling to ask if it were okay that Gigi stop by the diner to se eyou and Jess at around six," Christopher said over the phone.

"Yeah, Dad. That's great. We'll be there," Rory told him and rested her head on Jess's shoulder and he put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Okay, we'll see you guys then."

"Alright, bye Dad." Rory hung up her phone after Christopher had said his goodbyes and she looked up at Jess who was already looking down into her eyes. "He and Gigi will be here at around six, so in about two hours or so, we need to be in the diner to greet them."

"Okay, that's fine," Jess agreed and then kissed the crown of her head. "We proabably shoudl buy a house." Rory looked up at him again with surprise.

"Really?" She asked, her voice hopeful. He smirked down at her and shrugged.

"Yeah, we _really _should. After your dad and Gigi leave tonight, we'll close up early and go home and talk about it some more. We'll decide when and where exactly to look then. Okay?"

"Okay," she told him and kissed him softly, holding each side of his face in her hands. "We'll do that."


	5. Chapter 5

**an: i am so sorry that this took forever and a year to get posted. i hope you forgive me and enjoy. it's a little on the short side also, again i am sorry, but i'm having such a hard time coming up with what to write for the story. i know what i want to happen, it's just how to get there is more challenging than it has been for my other stories. anyways, here's the new chapter!**

**disclaimer: i don't own gilmore girls, i can promise you that.**

"This is worse than shopping for shoes," Jess complained as he and Rory thumbed through the houses for sale in the Stars Hollow Gazette the following Monday evening.

"You're such a baby," Rory responded, quickly looking over at him on the couch. Jess scowled at her and went back to reading the classifieds. "So, how many bedrooms do you think we should be looking for?"

"I don't know, three maybe," he suggested, looking up at Rory to see her looking back at him. She was about to say something when the phone rang. "I'll get that," he said and then reached across Rory for the phone which was lying on the endtable. "Hello?"

"Hello, may I please speak with Jess Mariano?" The man on the other end of the phone asked.

"This is Jess Mariano. How can I help you?" Jess asked and Rory snickered from her seat at his politeness.

"Oh, hello, Jess. This is Martin from Promising Publishing," Martin told Jess and Jess immediately stiffened.

"Hi, Martin, how are you?"

"I'm great, Jess. And I have some amazing news for you," Martin said and then Jess stood up and started pacing, ignoring the confusing stares that he was getting from Rory. "But first, how are _you_?"

"I am doing great, sir," Jess responded, trying to keep his voice level.

"Well, I hope that this news will add to that. My associates and I would like to offer you a job here at Promising. We're hoping very much that you'd accept this offer," Martin said and by the time he was finished Jess was standing in front of Rory and they were watching each other very closely.

"Yes, sir, I'd be more than happy accepting this offer," Jess said and Rory stood up in front of him.

"Great, you start next Monday," Martin said and Jess nodded until her remembered that Martin couldn't see him.

"I'm really looking forward to it. I'll see you Monday," Jess said while Rory took a sharp breath waiting for the conversation to end so that her and Jess could have one.

"I'm looking forward to it; good bye Mr. Mariano," Martin said and then hung up.

Rory watched him for a moment and saw him lightly toss the phone onto the couch. "Are you haonestly going to stand there and not tell me what just went down?" Rory asked incredulously. Jess looked at her, keeping his face calm and level and shook his head.

"No," he answered evenly. "I got the job. I start on Monday." Rory was smiling and Jess was trying to keep a straight face, but if anybody could tell when he was happy or excited it was Rory; she read it from his eyes.

"Congratulations," screeched as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck. Jess reached around her body and tugged her closer until he could peck her barely covered shoulder. She was in her pajamas; sweatpants and a tank top; he was in sweatpants and a wifebeater, his muscles accentuated from his tight grasp of his wife. He lossened his arms and they pulled apart.

"Thanks," he said before dropping a soft, quick kiss on her lips. They stood next to each other and she wrapped an arm across his back and pulled him closer. They sat down simultaneously on their couch and looked straight ahead, contemplating the future. "I guess that we should find a house, huh?"

"You really want to do that now? We could do something to celebrate if you want to," Rory suggested and Jess shrugged.

"It's no big deal, we'll celebrate tomorrow when we have more energy. We can tell Luke and Lorelai tomorrow, too," Jess told her and she nodded, lying her head on his shoulder. "I guess I should call my mom tomorrow, too. She wanted to hear any news if there were any."

"I think that she'd really like to hear from you. She's always the one to call, and now you have something huge to tell her."

"Rory, it's not that big of a deal, don't make it one."

"Hey, all I'm saying is that I'm happy for you. I know you're happy too, so don't even lie. It's a big deal, whether you want to admit or not; it's big and I'm proud of you," she assured him and he kissed the crown of her head as a compromise.

"Fine, then we'll make a big deal about it tomorrow, but right now, I just want it to be what it is; a new job with amazing potential," he said quietly, finally able to think ahead for his future with Rory and the kids they want to have.

"See, you do think it's big," she said, dropping the subject with one last jab at him. He let out a small laugh and Rory smiled as she rested a hand on his toned, strong stomach. She watched Jess reach for one of the newspapers that they had been looking through and watched as he read more listings and she looked on also. She reached over and pointed at a listing that she liked and Jess moved his eyes to where her finger was pointed.

"I guess we could look at that one. It sounds good enough on paper," he suggested and Rory sat up and reached for a peice of paper on the coffee table.

"So, I should put it on the list?"

"Yeah, put it on the list." he went back to reading the listings and she wrote down the information on the house. "I'm done for tonight though, Rory. We can call about the houses on the list later this week. Please?"

"That's fine. I'm going to go take a shower then," Rory told Jess and he nodded. She go tup from the couch and walked to the bathroom.

She put the shower on and sat down an the covered toilet and pulled her cellphone out of her sweats. She quickly dialled her mother's cellphone. She made sure that the door was closed and locked as she did so and waited for an answer.

"Hey, Hon," Lorelai answered the phone and Rory jumped at her volume.

"Hi, Mom. I have great news!" Rory whispered excitedly.

"Oh, do tell Mommy please."

"Okay, you know the job that Jess was interviewed for last week?"

"Of course I do. Did he get the job?"

"Yes! Isn't that amazing?" Rory asked, still whispering so that Lorelai was the only one that could hear her.

"That is, Ror. Is he excited?"

"Well, he is, but he doesn't want it to be made into a big deal; which is why I have the shower running and I'm whispering."

"Oh, that's what that sound was," Lorelai said with a laugh.

"Yeah. But don't tell Luke because he's going to tell you guys tomorrow," Rory explained. "I just really wanted to tell you, because I'm really excited for him."

"That's awesome, Sweets."

"Yeah, it's also great timing because we started looking through the papers for houses."

"Honey, that's so great. We've all thought it was time; Luke, Liz, me, even your grandparents. Have you found anything good yet?"

"Well, I started a list of contendors, so we're going to call about them later in the week. I have to go to New York this weekend, though, so it might even have to be the beginning of next week."

"Wow, you're really moving on this thing," Lorelai commented.

"Yeah, I know. But, hey Mom, I should go because I've had the water running for awhile and I should get in there," Rory said.

"Alright Ror. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye, Mom," Rory said before hanging up the phone. She got undressed and took a quick shower.

When she left the bathroom, she had a towel wrapped tightly around her slim figure and she was carrying all of her clothes and her cellphone. She walked into the bedroom and alost jumped when she saw Jess lying on his back reading a book. She recovered and threw all of her clothes into a hamper and placed her phone on the bureau against the wall. She got dressed quickly and brushed her hair out before crawling into bed next to Jess.

She laid her head on his chest and kissed it quickly. "Congratulations, Jess," she said quietly and she felt him softly kiss the top of her head before going back to his book.


End file.
